Air Museum of Minnesota Oral History Project

30 INTERVIEWS

DATE: 1965-1980

INTERVIEWERS: Anne Holey, George Holey and Sherm Booen

This project focuses on the development of the aviation industry in Minnesota with a greater concentration on the first half of the twentieth century. It includes interviews with early aviators, mechanics, airport developers, fixed station operators, and regulatory officials pioneering aviation in Minnesota. Many of the narrators participated in barnstorming, flight instruction, and developing businesses such as airlines, and even a resort catering to those arriving by airplane. These men and women flew some of the first types of airplanes made, talk about when they first became interested in flying and where and when they were instructed, and many discussed how they thought the future of aviation would unfold versus what actually happened. Each interview contains anecdotes about flying, both amusing and tragic and remembrances of various colleagues. The interviews are also rich in detail about airplane and engine types.